Sports
Inter-University Chess: Dhaka University Knights Mares emerge unbeaten champion
Dhaka University Knights Mares clinched unbeaten champion in the Inter University Team Chess Tournament securing 18.5 points after the 7th and last round matches at the Chess Federation hall room on Sunday.
The Independent University, Bangladesh finished runners-up with 17 points while Dhaka University Castle Crushers became third collecting 10 points. Jagannath University secured fourth place, Khulna University became fifth scoring 8 points each, BRAC University became 6th and Jahangirnagar University finished 7th place with 7 points each.
In the day's seventh and final round, Dhaka University Knight Mares drew with Khulna University by 2-2 points. Independent University, Bangladesh defeated Jahangirnagar University by 3-1 points and Jagannath University defeated Dhaka University Elite Players by 4-0 points. BRAC University Eagles drew with Daffodil International University by 2-2 points and BRAC University Phoenix got a walk-over against ULAB University.
The winners of board awards are: 1st Board- Anata Choudhury of BRAC University Phoenix, 2nd Board- Sohel Mia of Dhaka University Knight Mares, 3rd Board- Abu Taher of Khulna University, 4th Board- Mottakin Mondol of Daffodil International University,
Additional prize winners are Ratul Ahmed Khan of Dhaka University Castle Cruisers and Mahzin Gibran Prithu of BRAC University Eagles.
The Prize giving ceremony will be held on Monday afternoon at the Chess Federation Hall-Room.
AFC U-17 Women's Asian Cup: Bangladesh fly to Vietnam Monday for qualifiers
Bangladesh women's football team will leave the capital for Vietnam Monday afternoon to participate in the round-2 matches of the AFC U-17 Women's Asian Cup 2024 Qualifiers, to be held in Hanoi from Sept 20-24.
Bangladesh are in four- team Group D of the Asian youth women's soccer tournament with stronger Australia, hosts Vietnam and the Philippines.
India clinch 8th Asia Cup title in dominant fashion
Ruma Akter was named as captain of Bangladesh team while Joynob Bibi Rita made her deputy.
The prospect and preparation of the Bangladesh team was disclosed at a pre-tour press conference held at the BFF conference room on Sunday.
Sri Lanka bat first in Asia Cup final against India
Team Manager M Nurul Islam Nuru, head coach Mahbubur Rahman Litu and captain Ruma Akter, among others, spoke on the occasion.
In the group matches, Bangladesh will start their campaign taking on hosts Vietnam in one of the two opening day's matches on Wednesday (September 20) at 7 pm at the Yanmar field, Vietnam Youth Football Training Center in Hanoi.
Chandika sees Tanzim as vital to Bangladesh’s World Cup lineup
In the remaining group encounters, Bangladesh will face the Philippines on Friday (Sept 22) at 4 pm and will meet stronger Australia on Sunday (Sept 24) at 4 pm at the same venue.
India clinch 8th Asia Cup title in dominant fashion
India chased down a modest target of 51 in a mere 6.1 overs against Sri Lanka, securing their record eighth Asia Cup title in Colombo on Sunday.
Coming into this match, India might not have anticipated such a smooth ride to victory in the final.
Sri Lanka had little to offer with only 50 runs on the board. As India took to the field for their chase, a handful of Sri Lankan fans remained in the gallery at Colombo. They departed, carrying with them the sting of a defeat that may linger for years.
Sri Lanka bat first in Asia Cup final against India
Ishan Kishan contributed a solid 23, while Shubman Gill notched an unbeaten 27, ensuring a comprehensive 10-wicket victory for India.
In the earlier innings, Mohammad Siraj dismantled the Sri Lankan batting order, claiming six wickets for a mere 12 runs. India swiftly bundled out Sri Lanka for a paltry 50 runs in just 15.2 overs.
Although Sri Lanka won the toss and opted to bat first, fortune did not favor them. The home side lost their first wicket in the opening over, with four more tumbling in the third over.
Tamim, Mahmudullah return as Bangladesh announces squad for New Zealand series
Siraj's performance in that critical third over was nothing short of spectacular, as he clinched four wickets. Though a hat-trick narrowly eluded him, that one over effectively extinguished India's competition.
His remarkable figures of six for 12 now stand as the second-best bowling performance for India in ODIs.
For Sri Lanka, a staggering nine batters were dismissed with single-digit scores, with five of them enduring a duck each. It was a day the Sri Lankan team will undoubtedly wish to expunge from their memory.
Chandika sees Tanzim as vital to Bangladesh’s World Cup lineup
Bashundhara Kings leaves for Male to play AFC Cup away match
Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) Football champions Bashundhara Kings left Dhaka for the Maldives capital Male on Sunday morning to play their AFC Cup away match against Maziya Sports & Recreation Club.
Bangladesh champions Bashundhara Kings will start their AFC Cup campaign with away match taking on the Maziya SRC of the Maldives on Tuesday (Sept 19) at the National Stadium in Male at 4 pm (Bangladesh time).
Bashundhara Kings, which is maintaining their winning record against the Maziya, wants to make a good start this time also beating their opponents.
AFC Cup Football : Dhaka Abahani to fly for Kolkata Monday to play Mohun Bagan SG in play-off match
Earlier, Bangladesh was placed in Asian Group D with Indian Super Cup champions Odisha FC and Kolkata Mohun Bagan Super Giant of India and Maziya SRC of the Maldives.
Bangladesh play their first home match against Odisha FC on October 2 at 6: pm Bangladesh time at the Bashundhara Sports Arena in Dhaka.
Bangladesh team reaches Hangzhou to participate in Asian Games Football
In the next and 2nd away match, the Kings will encounter Kolkata Mohun Bagan Super Giant on October 24 at 4 pm at the Kalinga Stadim in Bhubaneswar, India.
Bangladesh U-16 football team reaches Bhutan
Four teams will face each other six times on home and away basis group matches and later the top team will qualify for the next round of the meet.
Sri Lanka bat first in Asia Cup final against India
Sri Lanka won the toss and elected to bat first in the Asia Cup final against India at R. Premadasa Stadium on Sunday.
Both teams qualified for the finals with two wins each in the Super Four stage.
Read: Chandika sees Tanzim as vital to Bangladesh’s World Cup lineup
India made six changes for the final from their last game of the Super Four round, which they lost to Bangladesh.
Virat Kohli, Hardik Pandya, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj and Jasprit Bumrah, all of whom were rested for the dead rubber against Bangladesh, were back in the side while all-rounder Washington Sundar replaced the injured Axar Patel.
Read: Bangladesh bat first against India in their last Asia Cup outing
Sri Lanka made one change bringing in leg-spinner Dushan Hemantha for the injured Maheesh Theekshana.
Teams:
Sri Lanka: Kusal Perera, Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Charith Asalanka, Dhananjaya de Silva, Dasun Shanaka (captain), Dunith Wellalage, Dushan Hemantha, Matheesha Pathirana and Pramod Madushan
India: Rohit Sharma (captain), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Ishan Kishan, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj and Jasprit Bumrah
Tamim, Mahmudullah return as Bangladesh announces squad for New Zealand series
Opener Tamim Iqbal and all-rounder Mahmudullah Riyad have made a comeback as the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) announced the squad for the first and second ODIs of the New Zealand series on Saturday.
Tamim was out of the team due to concerns regarding his injuries, while Mahmudullah was overlooked due to his prolonged off-form.
Batter Litton Das will lead the side in the absence of regular captain Shakib Al Hasan, who has been rested along with Mushfiqur Rahim, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, and the pace trio of Taskin Ahmed, Hasan Mahmud, and Shoriful Islam.
Read: Bangladesh team reaches Hangzhou to participate in Asian Games Football
There was no place for batters Naim Sheikh, Afif Hossain, and Shamim Hossain, all of whom were part of the squad that played in the Asia Cup.
The National Selection Panel Chairman Minhajul Abedin said: “The decision to rest players was taken in consideration of the World Cup in India which will be a long tournament where ensuring the mental and physical fitness of the cricketers will be very important. The series against New Zealand provides us an opportunity to take a look at some other players as well ahead of this major event.
Read: Chandika sees Tanzim as vital to Bangladesh’s World Cup lineup
“The squad is a blend of experience and youth and only Zakir, Khaled and Rishad have not featured in ODIs yet. Zakir was very close to playing against Ireland in March before he suffered an unfortunate injury. Khaled has done well in his list A career and Rishad offers a different dimension to our bowling attack.”
Tamim, Mahmudullah, Soumya Sarkar, and Quazi Nurul Hasan Sohan have returned to the side. The uncapped players in the squad are left-hander Zakir Hasan, pacer Syed Khaled Ahmed, and leg-spinner Rishad Hossain.
The ODIs will be played at Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium on September 21, 23, and 26, respectively.
Read: Asia Cup 2023 Final Preview: India or Sri Lanka — Who Will Win?
Bangladesh squad for first two ODIs of New Zealand series: Litton Das (Captain), Tamim Iqbal, Soumya Sarkar, Anamul Haque, Tawhid Hridoy, Mahmudullah Riyad, Nurul Hasan Sohan, Mahedi Hasan, Nasum Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman, Tanzim Hasan, Tanzid Hasan Tamim, Zakir Hasan, Rishad Hossain, Syed Khaled Ahmed
Bangladesh team reaches Hangzhou to participate in Asian Games Football
Bangladesh Men's Football Team reached the Chinese city of Hangzhou on Saturday morning to participate in the 19th Asian Games Football, beginning there on Wednesday.
The men's football team departed Dhaka at 12:50 am on Saturday and reached the team hotel in Hangzhou at about 11:00 am as the first batch of the 240-member Bangladesh contingent that will represent the country in the Hangzhou Asiad scheduled for September 23 to October 8.
Also read: Asian Games Football: Bangladesh Men's team put pressure
Some 12,000 athletes from 45 Asian countries are expected to compete in 481 events in 61 disciplines of sports in the biggest sports carnival in Asia, the second-biggest sports extravaganza in the world after the Olympic Games.
Bangladesh will compete in 17 disciplines of sports—athletics, archery, boxing, cricket, chess, football, kabaddi, hockey, shooting, swimming, weightlifting, karate, gymnastics, fencing, bridge, golf, and taekwondo—in the mega Asian Games.
Also read: 240-member contingent to represent Bangladesh in 19th Asian Games in China
Although the Hangzhou Asiad will officially be inaugurated on September 23, the men's football competition will start on September 19, three days ahead of the meet's opening ceremony.
Bangladesh's team, which was placed in tough group with upper ranked China, India, and Myanmar, will face Myanmar on September 19, India on September 21 and host China on September 24.
Dhaka Abahani defender Rahmat Mia will lead the Bangladesh team in Asian Games Football.
Bangladesh played 27 matches in the Asian Games Football since their first inception in 1978 and won only four matches, one each against Malaysia, Nepal, Afghanistan, and Qatar.
Meanwhile, the Bangladesh women's football team will fly to Hangzhou on September 19 to make its first Asian Games debut.
Also read: BFF initially selects 30 booters for Asian Games
They will play in the World Cup against Japan on September 22, Vietnam on September 25, and Nepal on September 28 in group affairs.
Grand Master Niaz Morshed and the captain of SAFF champions Bangladesh Women's Football Team, Sabina Khatun, will carry the Bangladesh national flag in the opening ceremony of the Asian Games on September 23.
Bangladesh, which faced a medal drought in the last Asian Games in Jakarta and Palembang, Indonesia, in 2018, is this time expecting better results from cricket, shooting, and archery.
Moreover, Bangladesh also has high hopes for two Bangladesh-origin expatriate athletes: Zinnat Ferdous of the United States and sprinter Imranrur Rahman of the United Kingdom.
Chandika sees Tanzim as vital to Bangladesh’s World Cup lineup
Making a noteworthy debut against India in the Asia Cup, right-arm pace bowler Tanzim Hasan Sakib exhibited commendable prowess. He swiftly clinched two key wickets at the onset of the innings and subsequently held fort, defending a mere 12 runs in the final over to secure a resounding victory for Bangladesh.
This triumphant performance left an indelible mark on Bangladesh’s head coach, Chandika Hathurusingha, who now envisions Tanzim as a crucial asset for the impending World Cup, set to unfold later this year in India.
Bangladesh poised to be a formidable contender in World Cup, Shakib believes
In the World Cup, Bangladesh will be without the services of pacer Ebadot Hossain, as he fell prey to a knee injury that necessitated surgical intervention. He faces a lengthy recovery period before resuming his cricketing pursuits.
In light of this void, Chandika sees Tanzim as a highly promising option to step into the breach.
“Tanzim has made a compelling case for inclusion in the Bangladesh World Cup squad,” remarked Chandika in the aftermath of the India match.
Bangladesh beat India in Asia Cup after 11 years
The Bangladesh coach also emphasized his preference for a four-man pace attack in the World Cup, with Ebadot originally factoring into this strategic blueprint. However, given the pacer's slim chances of regaining fitness in time for the tournament, Chandika is inclined towards considering Tanzim.
“I firmly believe it would not be an erroneous decision to include him in the World Cup squad,” Chandika asserted. “He has demonstrated his mettle, and his ability to bat at the late order is an added asset.”
Tigers aim for a memorable end to their Asia Cup campaign by facing India
Bangladesh's upcoming challenge is a face-off against New Zealand on home turf — a final opportunity to fine-tune their World Cup roster.
Bangladesh poised to be a formidable contender in World Cup, Shakib believes
In a thrilling denouement to their Asia Cup journey, the Bangladesh cricket team secured a narrow six-run victory over India.
Following this triumph, captain Shakib Al Hasan expressed confidence in the Tigers' potential to emerge as formidable contenders in the upcoming World Cup, slated to be held later this year in India.
Asia Cup 2023 Final Preview: India or Sri Lanka — Who Will Win?
Shakib, at the helm, delivered a pivotal performance with the bat, notching up a crucial half-century. His prowess was equally evident with the ball in the face-off against India in Colombo.
While concluding their Asia Cup campaign on a high note, the Tigers did grapple with setbacks, experiencing losses against Sri Lanka and Pakistan. Their other victory came against Afghanistan.
"We possess a formidable team," remarked Shakib in the aftermath of the match. "Several of our players suffered injuries during the event; some departed, while others joined midstream. Overall, it didn't bode well for our cause."
Bangladesh beat India in Asia Cup after 11 years
Shakib went on to emphasize, "However, with a fit squad, we can pose a significant threat in the World Cup."
India opted to rest some of their marquee players for the showdown against Bangladesh. Notably, Virat Kohli did not feature in the match, and Jasprit Bumrah was also granted respite.
Preview of India vs Bangladesh ODI in Asia Cup 2023
Bangladesh, too, had to contend without their star batter, Mushfiqur Rahim, while the services of right-arm pacer Taskin Ahmed went overlooked.
Asia Cup 2023 Final Preview: India or Sri Lanka — Who Will Win?
Sri Lanka has reached the Asia Cup 2023 final after dramatically knocking out Pakistan on Thursday night. In the exciting final, Sri Lanka will compete against India on Sunday, September 17, 2023 at 3:30 pm. The IND vs SL match will be held at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo.
Preview of IND vs SL Asia Cup 2023 Final Match
India secured their spot in the top two by winning a thrilling match against Sri Lanka in the Super Fours. This victory also ended Bangladesh’s hopes of reaching the Asia Cup Final 2023. The defending champions, Sri Lanka, managed to defeat Pakistan in a rain-affected Super Fours game, earning their place in the final as well.
However, India’s loss to Bangladesh in the last match of the Super Four Round might reduce their confidence a bit. But, some of the game changers of India, such as Virat Kohli, Jasprit Bumrah, and Kuldeep Yadav, were on rest to give their best in the final. So, India will surely come back stronger with the top players.
In the last match of the Super Four Round, India won the toss and sent Bangladesh to bat first. Bangladesh set a target of 266 runs for India. Chasing a target of 266 runs, India were bowled out for 259 runs with 1 ball to spare. They needed 12 runs in the last over with 1 wicket in hand. But they could not reach the target. Bangladesh beat India by 6 runs on Friday at the Premadasa Stadium in Colombo.
Sri Lanka, on the other hand, secured the final by beating Pakistan in their last Super Four Round match. Sri Lanka won the breathtaking ODI match in the last ball. Because of rain, the game was shortened to 42 overs. Pakistan batted first and managed to score 252 runs while losing 7 wickets. In reply, Sri Lanka reached victory by losing 8 wickets.
Now, the defending champions and India are waiting for Sunday’s final. So far in this tournament, India lost one match, and that was against Bangladesh. On the other hand, Sri Lanka lost one match against India in the Super Four. It is expected that both teams will join the final with their best players, as there is no injury report.
Read more: Tigers aim for a memorable end to their Asia Cup campaign by facing India
Predicted XI for India
Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul (wk), Ishan Kishan, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj
Predicted XI for Sri Lanka
Pathum Nissanka, Dimuth Karunaratne, Kusal Mendis (w), Sadeera Samarawickrama, Charith Asalanka, Dhananjaya de Silva, Dasun Shanaka (c), Dunith Wellalage, Maheesh Theekshana, Kasun Rajitha, and Matheesha Pathirana.
India vs Sri Lanka Asia Cup Final Head to Head
This is not the first time that India and Sri Lanka are meeting in the Asia Cup Final. Previously, they met 7 times in the final in 1988, 1990-91, 1995, 1997, 2004, 2008 and 2010. Among these seven appearances, India won four times in 1988, 1990-91, 1995, and 2010. Sri Lanka won three times in 1997, 2004 and 2008.
India vs Sri Lanka Overall ODI Head to Head
In ODI cricket, India and Sri Lanka have played against each other 166 times. Out of these 166 matches, India has won 97 times, while Sri Lanka has won 57 times. There were 11 matches that didn’t have a clear result, and 1 match ended in a tie.
Read more: ICC World Cup 2023 Warm-up Schedule: Full fixture list, match timings and venues
Key Indian Players to Watch in Asia Cup Final 2023
Shubman Gill
Shubman Gill has been consistent throughout this Asia Cup and finally got his desired century against Bangladesh. He scored 121 runs from 133 balls in a critical situation for India. This week, Indian opener Shubman Gill has moved up two spots to reach the second position in the ICC Men’s ODI rankings for batters. He earned this recognition for his outstanding batting performance during the Asia Cup 2023. Shubman scored 275 runs in five innings with an impressive average of 68.75. This includes two half-centuries and one century in his name. So, India will greatly depend on his batting knock in the Final.
KL Rahul
Rahul made a comeback to the Indian team after being sidelined for almost three months due to multiple injuries. After his return, he scored a century in his first appearance in the Asia Cup against Pakistan in Super Four. After that, Rahul scored 39 runs against Sri Lanka and 19 runs against Bangladesh. It seems the long absence from the field did not hamper his performance, and he came back stronger. So, we may see a better performance this time against Sri Lanka.
Kuldeep Yadav
Kuldeep was the top bowler against Sri Lanka in the last match. He took four wickets with a 4.52 economy rate. Seemingly, his bowl worked better at R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo, as he also took five wickets at the same venue against Pakistan. Since the final will be at the same venue, we may see another brilliant performance from Kuldeep.
Read more: ICC World Cup 2023: India ODI Squad Analysis
Key Sri Lankan Players to Watch in Asia Cup Final 2023
Kusal Mendis
Kusal has scored 253 runs from five innings in this Asia Cup and has two centuries and a half century. However, Kusal scored 15 runs against India in the Super Four round match. So, this time, Kusal should be looking to put his best in the final. Moreover, he is also incredible in wicketkeeping, as he took 8 catches.
Sadeera Samarwickrama
Sadeera Samarwickrama is currently the third highest run-scorer in the tournament, with a total of 215 runs in five innings. However, in the match against India, he only scored 17 runs. So, Sadeera is surely looking for a great knock in the final. Overall, Sadeera has played in 22 matches and has scored a total of 615 runs. His highest score is 93, which came against Bangladesh in this Asia Cup. He has an impressive strike rate of 90.57 in this tournament.
Matheesha Pathirana
This 20 year old wonder is the top wicket taker in this Asia Cup. So far, he took 11 wickets. He got at least one wicket in each match of the tournament except against India. In his appearance against India, Matheesha bowled 4 overs with a 7.75 econ rate, which resembles an average performance from him. He might be looking for a better performance in the final and remain the top wicket takers.
Read more: Bangladesh's probable squad for ICC ODI World Cup 2023
Final Words
India seems to have an advantage over Sri Lanka on paper because they have a stronger team with better players. However, India should not underestimate Sri Lanka as in the previous encounter in the Super Four stage of the tournament, India were very close to losing against the Lankans. While both teams are strong contenders, India still has a better chance to win the IND vs SL Asia Cup Final 2023.
Read more: Bangladesh beat India in Asia Cup after 11 years